Imperial Navy Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers are a type of warship used by the Imperial Navy. Somewhat larger than regular Cruisers, the Battlecruiser fills the need for a heavily-armored yet high speed ship class capable of carrying Battleship-grade weaponry. They take over the roles of the Grand Cruisers as these venerable ships are gradually phased out or moved to the Reserves.
Although sporting increased firepower, Battlecruisers are often times no more durable than a regular Cruiser, due to the design compromises needed to maintain its high speeds. As a result, Battlecruisers try to avoid sustained assaults if possible.
Imperial battlecruisers are one of the few examples of a correct use of the term battlecruiser in sci-fi, where it's often simply a generic big ship term. A real battlecruiser is a ship carrying firepower of a battleship but with mobility of a cruiser at the cost of protection, thus allowing it to outgun anything it can't outrun and allowing it to outrun anything it can't outgun.
Battlecruiser Classes
Basic
Armageddon
Built out of recovered Lunar-class Cruiser hulls, the Armageddon-class Battlecruiser was made to bulk up the numbers of the Imperial Navy in the lead-up to the Third War of Armageddon.
While still possessing the default weaponry of a Lunar Cruiser, the enhanced weapon systems and power relays added helped increase their range, with still enough power to spare to support a pair of additional Lance batteries.
On the flip side, all this additional equipment, plus the manpower needed to maintain them, and the supplies for the extra crew meant that the insides of the class were quite cramped. As a result, the Armageddon is not suited for operating independently for long periods of time.
- Length: 5km
- Mass: 30 megatonnes approx
- Crew: 98,500 crew, approx
- Acceleration: 2.5 gravities max sustainable acceleration
Carrier
Dominion
A cautionary tale on not putting all your eggs under the decision making of a couple of sleazy bureaucrats.
A class designed to replace the Mars-class, the Dominion carried long-range Lances to compliment its payload of Assault Craft by the fleetlords of Bakka while also having Lance batteries to satisfy the "big-gun" lobby (Yes, we are as surprised as you are that lobbying still exists in the 41st Millennium).
While it performed admirably as fleet support ships, especially during the First Tyrannic War on Macragge, they still suffered the same issues as the Gothic-class Cruisers. After several of these ships were lost, construction of the class has ceased as a result. Because Emperor forbid a ship need support from other vessels. What do you think this is? A fleet?
- Length: 5km
Mars
Intended to replace the Exorcist Grand Cruiser as a fleet carrier and patrol ship, the Mars class didn't quite meet its designers' expectations, primarily due to its odd mix of weaponry. Aside from its Launch Bays, it features a Nova Cannon, plus short-ranged Macro cannons and Lance batteries. In theory, this allows the Mars Class to engage the enemy whilst out of range of their main weapon systems, or go closer to the enemy and use its attack craft to protect itself or make lightning raids against enemy ships.
However, in reality, the Mars Class is Skub reincarnated into an entire ship in-universe. Captains have a love-or-hate relationship with the Mars, with many thinking that its undergunned, but there's an equal number who respect its capability to operate at stand-off ranges. Still, enough people bitched about the design that the shipyards of Mars stopped laying down Mars Class keels some 1,900 years before the Gothic War. Only a handful of shipyards continue to produce Mars in limited numbers ever since.
- Length: 5.4km
- Mass: 33 megatonnes approx
- Crew: 107,000 crew, approx
- Acceleration: 2.3 gravities max sustainable acceleration
Ordinance-Boat
Chalice
An attempt by enginseers in the Calixis sector to create a heavily-armored Cruiser, the Chalice was, in the end, unsuccessful, due to a combination of weak armor and plasma conduits that had an unfortunate tendency to break during assault.
Despite this, many vessels of the class still serve in Battlefleet Calixis. Because for all its flaws, it does have supposedly impressive armaments and is fast. So, while it might break, it'll at least do a lot of damage first and if your smart you can keep them safe enough for them to be useful.
Also, is it really an ordinance boat? There looks like a pair of lance turrets on the top near the bridge in the Chalice-class's picture if you look at the image on the right.
- Length: 5.1km
- Mass: 29 megatonnes approx
- Crew: 98,200 crew, approx
- Acceleration: 3.4 gravities max sustainable acceleration
Long Serpent
Another attempt at a fast, heavily-armed Cruiser, this time from the Tech Priests of Hydraphur in the wake of the Gothic War, the Long Serpent actually mostly succeeds at this task, thanks to being given what amounts to a Battleship engine on a Cruiser's frame.
The result is a powerful warship able to chase down the swiftest raider without that much difficulty, while delivering brutal firepower thanks to its 4 Weapons Batteries, single Lance battery, and Nova Cannon.
Unfortunately, since they're not any more armored than a regular Cruiser, bigger ships won't have that much trouble punching through a Long Serpent's defenses, and what's more, the catastrophic detonation of Battleship-grade Warp Drives can also take out its Escorts. Despite this, small numbers of the class are now finding their way into other Segmentum fleets.
- Length: 5km
Mercury
Built upon request by the Tech Priests of Bakka, the Mercury was yet another design that came in the wake of the Gothic War. Similar to the Long Serpent, the Mercury-class used a Battleship's engineering suite to boost its speeds so it could run down pirate vessels.
The broadside weapons batteries and dorsal lance turrets mounted on the Mercury have a range comparable with battleship, along with a Nova Cannon, allowing it to rapidly dispatch these smaller vessels. Its armor remained unchanged, however, so a Mercury is still relatively more fragile than other Battlecruiser classes.
However, this speed is very useful even when not used as a battlecruiser. The question becomes, if battleship engines fit on cruisers, why the hell hasn’t it been made standard and why aren’t the engines of grand cruisers and battleships suitably increased likewise? Anyone else feels more than a few brain cells commit seppuku?
- Length: 5km
Overlord
The Overlord-Class Battle Cruiser is a popular ship, both with Imperial Navy Captains and Admirals. Captains favour its long-range weaponry, good armour, and reasonable speed, whilst the Admirals like the fact it can dish out punishment at the range of a battleship, whilst being able to manoeuvre like a cruiser. It's more like a heavy cruiser than a battle cruiser but for some reason GW keeps heavy cruisers aside from the Cardinal class as a Chaos thing and battle cruisers are Imperial.
Descended design-wise from the Acheron Heavy Cruiser, the Tech Priests who designed the Overlord replaced the prow-mounted Weapons batteries with Torpedo launchers. This created a power surplus, which was then used to boost the ship's Lance array. The Overlord also incorporates respectable shield and turret cover, which allow it to survive incoming fire, and attack craft, respectively.
With this formidable firepower, it is often compared to the poor mans Retribution-class Battleship, and many Captains appreciate its ability to annihilate things at long range.
For some reason it does not have the Armageddon-class’s problems despite having twice as many manually operated weapons batteries.
- Length: 5.3km
- Mass: 31 megatonnes approx
- Crew: 100,000 crew, approx
- Acceleration: 2.4 gravities max sustainable acceleration
In Battlefleet Gothic
Much like the Grand Cruisers before them, Battlecruisers come in as a cheaper and faster alternative to a Battleship.
While they carry better and longer-ranged weapons, they're still barely more armored than a regular Cruiser. Always keep that little tidbit in mind.
A Battlecruiser may be included in a fleet list for every two Cruisers.
In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2
With just a slight increase in points over regular Cruisers, Battlecruisers are able to mount stronger and heavier weaponry. The addition of actual offensive turrets that allow 270-degree firing arcs is always welcome as well.